


Die to Live

by gapevinenerd



Category: BnHA
Genre: Dabi is Touya Todoroki and no one can convince me otherwise, F/F, Gen, It gets better I promise, It starts out boring and scattered, M/M, No proofreading, Platonic Toga/Dabi, Platonic Toga/Twice, Title comes from an awesome song, Vigilante!deku, We Die Like Men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:20:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23269840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gapevinenerd/pseuds/gapevinenerd
Summary: Izuku Midoriya just wanted to be normal.As a ten-year-old quirkless kid, that meant getting a quirk.The chain reaction along the years led to Izuku’s demise in exchange for others’ wellbeing.Until, one day, he met a group of UA students that wanted to help him. He soon realized what it took to get out of his horrid situation.But it would cost everything if he failed.
Relationships: Katsuki Bakugou/Eijiro Kirishima, Kyoka Jirou/Momo Yaoyarozu, Shoto Todoroki/Izuku Midoriya
Comments: 10
Kudos: 42





	1. The Pregnant Woman Method

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is kinda really scattered at first. The plot becomes more focused later on, I promise.  
> I hope you like it.  
> Also, the title is from a song that I really like. I recommend it.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku Midoriya just wanted to be normal. He wanted to have a quirk. So, when the offer presented itself, he took it.  
> Little did he know, that quirk was a debt that dragged him into villainy— or, to be more specific, the villains’ dirty work.  
> All Izuku wants is to have a normal life again, even at the risk of being quirkless. When he meets two men that could help him, it kicks off one hell of an adventure.

Police sirens cut through the night. The red and blue lights flashed In Izuku Midoriya’s eyes. He shielded his face with a hand, only to drop it again. Guilt was worming in his stomach. _Relax, Izuku. You’ve done this before._

He glanced back down at his bloodstained gloves, blinking hard, as if the terrible sight would go away.

“Put your hands up!! Don’t use your quirk or you will be shot!” Yelling came from all around him.

Izuku stepped away from the woman on the ground. A hero lunged forward and grabbed his arms, twisting them behind his back.

“Ow!” Izuku yelled, and lightning instinctively flashed across his fingertips. The hero yelped, falling back and letting go of Izuku’s arms.

A loud bang was followed by a ripping pain in Izuku’s shoulder. He screamed, collapsing against the wall beside him. Pain radiated down his arm and across his chest, and he clenched his teeth, groaning.

“Izuku Midoriya. Quirk: All For One.” A deep voice said. Their footsteps grew near. A hand grabbed Izuku’s hood, yanking him to his feet. He cried out, the seam of the jacket digging into the wound.

“A thin coat like this must be more for disguise than warmth.” The voice murmured. They shoved a hand between Izuku’s shoulder blades, pushing him across the street.

“The police… are that way…” Izuku whimpered.

The man shook his head. “Keep walking. Don’t turn around. Say. Nothing.”

They walked faster, the officers breaking into a confused chatter behind them.

The man leaned in and whispered, “Run.”

They took off down the street, Izuku grunting in pain with every step. The man took a right, climbing up a fire escape ladder. “C’mon!” He yelled, reaching out for Izuku’s gloved hand. The boy grabbed it, then screamed and let go, falling back to the ground. He writhed on the floor for a moment before standing shakily. “I can’t do it!”

The man groaned, jumping down and grabbing Izuku’s hoodie. He unzipped it, examining the bullet wound. He sighed. “Get on my back. I’ll carry you.”

Izuku climbed onto the man’s back, wincing. They scaled the ladder, going to the edge of the roof.

“W-wait! You’re gonna… jump??” Izuku whimpered, and the man sighed. “I just saved you from getting thrown in prison, kid. I don’t think this is the time to be judging my decisions.”

“Sorry.” Izuku squeaked. The man didn’t answer, looking down at a bunch of trash bags below.

“I don’t get paid enough for this,” he sighed, and jumped.

Izuku yelped as they hit the bags, rolling onto the ground. His shoulder started to throb, and he grimaced, rolling onto his back. The man grunted, helping him up. “C’mon. We’re meeting with someone somewhere around here…” he said quietly, looking around.

“Why are you doing this?” Izuku said, clutching his shoulder. “I-I killed someone. A lot of someones…”

“You’re a kid, Izuku. I don’t want you to waste your life in prison.”

Izuku’s eyes widened. No one had called him Izuku in a long time. Then a thought struck him, and he stopped walking. “Wai-wait! Th-the League… they’ll…”

The man put a hand on his back gently. “Relax. It’ll be okay. We know what they did to you.”

“No! You don’t understand!” Izuku pulled away, eyes wide. “They’ll— They’ll…” His eyes filled with tears.

The man frowned deeper, then walked over to an alley door. He tapped on it three times, and a little window opened. “Yes?”

“It’s me, Yagi.” The man sighed.

“Shh! Don’t use my name!” The person inside hissed. The door opened. A deathly pale, skinny man with sunken cheeks and dull eyes greeted them. “So this is Izuku Midoriya, huh?” He stuck a hand out, and Izuku stared at it. Most hands that were stuck out at him didn’t have friendly intentions.

Yagi put his hand back down, stepping out of the entrance. “Come in.”

The man pushed Izuku forward, and the boy flinched as the wound started throbbing again. The adrenaline had kept most of the pain at bay, but it was coming back now in waves.

They were led into a big room with multiple tables and doors leading to who-knows-where.

“Glad to see you came back okay, Eraser Head,” Yagi said, and the man scowled. Now that they were in full lighting, Izuku could see what his savior looked like.

He had unruly, black, shoulder length hair. His eyes were tired but firey with determination. He was wearing full black clothes with a grey scarf wrapped around his neck.

He turned toward Yagi. “We didn’t get out safe. Midoriya got shot.”

“Oh, dear,” Yagi’s eyes widened, and he hurried over to a cabinet, pulling out a white box that had a red “+” on it. “Come over here, I’ll try to treat it as best I can.”

Eraser Head walked over along with Midoriya. “Recovery Girl doesn’t know about this whole thing?”

“No, I’m afraid not. Come, my boy, lay down. Where’s the— Oh, dear, that’s a lot of blood.”

Izuku layed down, wincing. He flinched when Yagi reached out and touched his shirt.

“I’m sorry,” Yagi said quickly, pulling his hand back. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“No, your-you’re fine. Just… get it over with quickly, please.” His voice trembled on _please,_ and Eraser Head frowned.

“I’ll try. I need to get your shirt off, and it seems the blood has somewhat dried around it. This will hurt, but it will be over soon, okay?” Yagi’s eyes softened.

Izuku nodded. The skeletal man made a small cut on Izuku’s collar, carefully, pulling at it to make the incision wider. Soon it reached the dried blood, and Izuku inhaled sharply.

Eraser Head held out his hand, and Izuku glanced at it, wide-eyed.

“Grab my hand and don’t let go. I know this’ll hurt, but just hold on and squeeze whenever it gets too bad.”

Izuku smiled shakily. “Isn’t that what they do for pregnant women?”

Eraser Head rolled his eyes. “It works, is the point.”

Izuku opens his mouth to protest when he screams, looking over to see Yagi cleaning the wound.

Eraser Head winced as the boy clutched his hand hard, cries of pain making Yagi flinch.

Soon, Izuku started shivering, his hands growing clammy and cold. Sweat beaded on his brow, and he clenched his teeth to stop them from chattering.

“Oh, no,” Eraser Head growled.

“What?” Yagi looked up.

“He’s going into hypovolemic shock.”

“What do we do??”

“Uh, elevate his feet. About a foot. Um, do we have any blankets?”

Yagi ran off to a closet. Eraser Head leaned closer to the boy, pressing his body against his own.

“Wh-why are you holding me? What’s going on?” Izuku said weakly. The boy was tense, as if he wanted to pull away, but didn’t.

“To prevent hypothermia. You’ve lost too much blood.”

Eraser Head helped him off of the table, pulling out a chair and instructing Izuku to lay down. He propped the boy’s feet on top of the chair, leaning back and sighing with relief.

Yagi returned and tucked the blankets under each of the boy’s limbs.

Izuku murmured something, and Eraser leaned closer. “What was that?”

A small smile crept across Izuku’s face. “Thank you.”

Yagi and Eraser Head looked at each other in surprise. Yagi turned back to the boy, whispering, “You’re welcome, Young Midoriya.”


	2. Nosebleeds and Scars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku claims he wants to go back to the villains, and his motives for such are beginning to become clear.  
> Meanwhile, Crusty Boy is making some big plans.  
> Izuku reminisces on one of his interactions with said Crusty Boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I lied. I’ll try to spread out the posting times on the chapters (I’ve written up to 6), but I couldn’t help myself.   
> Anyway, this one’s a bit more relaxed. Not that much action, just dialogue.

Izuku woke up slowly, sunlight shining into his eyes. The second sensation he was aware of was the burning pain in his left shoulder. He groaned, afraid to move and make the pain worse.

He looked around as well as he could. The sunlight was coming through a window, and he frowned. _Where am I?_

Then it all came back; Izuku thrusting the knife into the woman’s chest. Her falling to the ground. Him freezing up there in the alley. The police swarming. The man in the black clothes taking him to this place. The pain.

There was a knock at the door. “Hey, Midoriya, are you awake?”

Izuku sat up, wincing. “Um, yea-yeah…”

The door opened to the other man, Yagi. “You okay? Your shoulder hurting?”

Izuku shrugged, then grimaced and looked back up. “A little bit. Less than I thought, for being shot.”

Yagi chuckled, entering the room. “You slept for a while. You feeling okay? You lost a lot of blood.”

“Yeah, Mr. Eraser Head told me last night. Um, I guess I’m okay.” A light breeze flew into the room, and Izuku shivered. He gasped, realizing that his arms were bare. His shoulders hunched up, and he wrapped his arms around himself, attempting to cover them up.

 _Having his arms bare makes him uncomfortable…_ Yagi thought, frowning. _What did those villains do to you, Izuku Midoriya?_

“I can go get your jacket, if you’d like…” Yagi offered, but Izuku shook his head. “N-no, it’s probably too ripped and bloody anyway…”

“You sure? I could go buy you a new one if you’d like.” Yagi went to put a hand on Izuku’s shoulder, but the boy flinched away.

“I’m fine, Mr. Yagi.” Izuku insisted. “Do you have my gloves?”

Yagi frowned. “Those old work gloves you were wearing? I think they’re in the kitchen.”

Izuku nodded, getting up. He wandered the halls for a little bit before finding the kitchen.

Eraser Head was sitting at the table, drinking from a coffee cup. “Morning, Midoriya,” He murmured.

Izuku nodded in greeting.

“My name is Shota Aizawa. Just thought you’d want to know.”

Izuku nodded. “Okay. Nice to meet you, Mr. Aizawa.”

“You too, kid.”

Izuku shifted his hands out of the pockets of his sweatpants. “D-do you know where my gloves are?”

Eraser looked up, his gaze shifting around the room. His brow furrowed before he finally reached into his pocket and held the pair of gloves out to him.

Izuku’s eyes lit up. “Thanks!” He reached for them, but stopped when he caught Eraser Head staring at his hands.

“I… um…” Izuku cleared his throat nervously.

“Where did that scar come from?” The hero pointed to a small circle on the back of Izuku’s hand. It was small enough to not draw too much attention, but big enough to not look over.

“Um… Uh…” Izuku stammered.

Eraser Head’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t have to say, but it might help your case.”

Izuku took a shaky breath before putting on the gloves and sitting down across from the bedraggled man.

“It- It was when I first came to the villains. I wanted to join, wanted to be powerful, known. I never thought I’d be stuck doing all their dirty work.

“When I first came, they took me to a back room and…” Izuku’s voice cracked, and Eraser Head set down his cup.

“They tied me down to a chair then sent a man in. He had a lot of weapons, including a… a nail and hammer.”

Shota’s eyes widened, and Izuku looked at the table, blinking back tears. “H-he asked me all sorts of questions, like why I was here, how’d I find them. I answered them, but then they asked me a question that I didn’t know.”

“What was this question?” Eraser leaned forward, putting his hand on top of Izuku’s.

The boy looked up, eyes wide with fear. “Who is All Might.” It was more a statement than a question, and was said very quietly, but it was enough to make Aizawa bolt out of his chair.

Izuku inhaled sharply. “So-Sorry, did I do something??”

“No. No, I’m sorry. It’s just…a really heavy question…” The man sat back down. “Sorry, please… continue.”

“Um, well, I couldn’t answer, obviously. Then the torture started.” The boy held up his hand. “They realized I didn’t know anything, and took me in.”

The boy’s gaze turned dark. “Shoulda never gone,” He said quietly.

Aizawa frowned. “I am so sorry. Izuku… Can I ask you something a little personal?”

Izuku hesitated, then nodded.

“Why didn’t you leave?”

The boy blinked slowly, breathing deeply. “I…couldn’t.” Then his eyes widened and he let out a cry, bolting out of his chair.

“What? What is it? Your shoulder?” Eraser rushed across the room to Izuku’s side.

“No, no,” Izuku said, stumbling backwards and clasping his hands over his ears. “No! I-I-I… I have to…”

Eraser’s eyes widened. “What? Have to what?”

“I have to…” tears started spilling from Izuku’s eyes, and the boy’s entire body shook. _“I have to go back!”_

Aizawa stepped back, shocked. “Wh-what?”

“I have to go back!” Izuku’s voice was just below a yell. “You don’t understand, they’ll… they’ll…”

Aizawa reached out to grasp Izuku’s shoulder, but the boy pulled away violently, wincing.

“THEY’LL KILL HIM!!” He yelled. “ _THEY’LL KILL KACCHAN!!!”_

*

Tomura Shigaraki was pissed. _Really_ pissed. His Master’s prodigy just _gone_?? Impossible. His right hand reached up and started scratching at his neck.

_Unless… Unless…_

“Kurogiri!” He barked. The misty man looked up from where he stood at the bar. “Yes, Tomura Shigaraki?”

“What if… what if that brat didn’t leave on his own?”

Kurogiri’s eerie yellow eyes narrowed. “What are you suggesting?”

“I’m suggesting, idiot, that he was kidnapped.” Tomura snapped. “No news outlets say that he was caught. And we have that annoying Bakugou kid’s house under surveillance. He wouldn’t leave voluntarily.”

Kurogiri nodded.

“Speaking of Bakugou…” Tomura hissed, standing. “I think we can lure the brat out of hiding if we carry through with our threats!”

Kurogiri hummed disapprovingly, turning around. “I don’t know, Tomura. That doesn’t seem very wis—“

“Don’t tell me what’s wise!” Shigaraki yelled. “We’re going to get that Bakugou kid. Tonight.”

Kurogiri dipped his head. “Yes, Tomura.”

*

Izuku was curled up on the bed he’d slept in the night before, shaking. He’d run out of tears, eventually settling for dry sobs. But even those had faded after a while, and he just sat there.

_They’re going to kill him. They’re going to kill him and it’s all my fault…_

_All my fault…_

“It’s all your fault!” A voice jarred Izuku from his stupor.

Shigaraki was in front of him. He was on the ground. When did he get there? There was a thud as Shigaraki kicked Izuku’s chest. It was followed by a flashing pain.

 _Oh yeah…_ Izuku thought, groaning. Shigaraki had hit him and he was on the ground.

“Master won’t fund any of my operations and it’s your fault!”

Izuku flinched at Shigaraki’s yell.

The villain reached out and grabbed Izuku’s throat. The boy gasped before choking, clawing at the hand. Shigaraki had his middle finger raised, but it was twitching.

“I have half a mind to kill you right now,” hissed Shigaraki. “But of course, Master wouldn’t be happy with me.” He let the boy go, but grinned and pulled out a 3-inch blade. “Then again, he never said anything about carving you up.”

Terror sparked in Izuku’s gut, and he whimpered, hacking and taking in as much air as possible.

Shigaraki grabbed his arm, hauling him to his feet. His back pressed against the wall, and the blade was hovering above his cheek. Izuku felt like throwing up, but that would do more harm than good. He was in no position to run, and he couldn’t dodge whatever Shigaraki was going to do.

His only option was to take it.

The blade sliced across his cheekbone, gouging a deep line all the way to his jaw.

Izuku screamed, falling to the floor and covering his face with his hands.

Blood.

Blood everywhere. Blood on the floor, on his hands, on his face in his eyes in his hair everywhere blood everywhere—

Izuku slammed into a wall, jerking back as pain flashed in his face.

“Ahh…” he groaned, clutching his cheek. But then he realized something. Pain was radiating from his face, but not from his cheek. From his nose.

He sniffed, then laughed mirthlessly. He had rolled over in his sleep, accidentally ramming into the wall and causing a nose bleed. It had been a dream, a memory. It was night, apparently, but he’d slept most of the day and wasn’t that tired.

He wiped the blood off on his arm, then started for the door.

He stopped when he heard voices coming from the hallway.

_Mr. Yagi… and Mr. Eraser Head… What are they talking about?_

Izuku leaned against the door, straining to listen.

“Leave?? He can’t, Shota!” Yagi’s voice was stern, but not angry.

“They obviously have some leverage against him. We can’t let someone die just because this boy is powerful.” There was a thud as Aizawa leaned against the wall.

“So? If he goes back, who knows what will happen to him? Didn’t you see those scars? On his arms, on his face?”

“Of course I did, I’m not blind. But if he wants to leave, we can’t stop him. We saved him, and it’s his choice to stay.”

Yagi huffed. “Fine. I’ll go talk to him.”

Izuku jerked back from the door, climbing back onto the bed and curling up, trying to breathe slowly to make it seem like he was asleep.

The door opened, and Yagi stepped in. “Izuku?” He said quietly. Izuku yawned, lifting his head up. “Yeah?”

“Sorry to wake you, but… me and Aizawa were talking, and… Do you really want to go back to the villains?”

Izuku sat up, trying to avoid meeting the skinny man’s eyes. “Yes, I do. I-I really appreciate what you and Mr. Aizawa have done for me, but…” tears welled in Izuku’s eyes despite his otherwise perfect poker face.

“They’ll kill your friend. We know.” Yagi sighed. “Very well. At least stay till the morning, though.”

Izuku nodded. “Okay.”

Yagi smiled sadly, then went to the door. “It was a pleasure having you, Izuku. Even if you were only here for a little bit.”

Izuku waited until the door closed, then layed back down on the bed, gazing at the moon through the window.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is kinda random but things will clear up.   
> Probably.
> 
> Anyway, stay snazzy my dudes!


	3. Aliens and Katy Perry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crusty Boy exacts his revenge, Izuku manages to severely injure himself once again, and the Gen Z kiddos show up.

Izuku knocked on the door of the villain compound. His emotions were warring. On one hand he felt anxiety, dread, and overall fear of returning. On the other, he felt relief. Kacchan was going to be okay.

He reached up to knock again, the fabric of his new windbreaker sleek across his skin. Yagi had bought it for him before he left, and had removed the price tag, much to Izuku’s dismay. He had told Yagi not to worry about it, but the man had gone and done it anyway.

Izuku thought back to their goodbyes. Aizawa had wished him the best and hugged him quickly. Same with Yagi. But it looked like there was something they weren’t telling him.

The door opened, and a man with dark hair and purple scars marring his face stood there. A sneer played on his lips. “Oh, it’s the suck-up,” he grunted.

Izuku frowned. “Don’t call me that.”

“Yeah, whatever. C’mon. Shigaraki’s waiting for you. He’s _not_ happy. You can expect another scar.”

That sent a chill down Izuku’s spine. He felt a pang of longing for Yagi and Aizawa— even though he didn’t know anything about them except for their names, he felt… _safe_ around them. And Izuku hadn’t feel that way about anyone in a long time.

His spirits dropped even further when he saw the look of infernal rage on Shigaraki’s face when they entered the bar. Izuku’s lungs stopped working, and he took a step back.

“You…” Shigaraki hissed, “You had the utter _gall_ to just disappear like that?!” He approached Izuku, fists clenched.

“I… I’m sor…” Izuku started, but he couldn’t finish. Because it wasn’t true. He wasn’t sorry for leaving.

_I was rushing back ‘cause I thought you had Kacchan. But now I know he’s safe, and I don’t regret a thing._

“Oh, but you _will_ regret it…” Shigaraki growled, and Izuku clapped a hand over his mouth, realizing he’d spoken out loud.

A smirk played on the villain’s lips. Suddenly, he lunged forward. Izuku yelped, jumping back. The windbreaker fell off his left shoulder right before Shigaraki’s hand wrapped around it.

His shirt decayed first. Then his skin. Then some of his muscle. That’s when Shigaraki let go. Izuku fell to the ground, screaming in agony.

“Whiny little brat,” Shigaraki wheezed. “Hate you. Anyway… Dabi, bring him out.”

Izuku snapped out of his pain just in time to see the scarred villain dragging a body through the door.

The boy’s eyes widened, and dread churned his stomach. “No…” he whispered. “No, you didn’t!! _YOU DIDN’T!!”_

Shigaraki laughed. “Oh, but we did. This is your punishment, Midoriya.”

Katsuki Bakugo lay on the ground, blood caked in his hair and on his face. A large gash marred his forehead, and one of his eyes was swollen shut. He lifted his head a little bit.

“Deku…” he rasped.

Izuku covered his mouth with his right hand, tears rolling down his cheeks. “K-Kacchan…”

Just then, there was a slamming noise coming from down the hall and three teenagers busted into the room. Izuku surveyed them quickly through his terror.

Two boys, one girl. The girl had distinctive pink skin and hair, her eyes and mouth covered respectively by sunglasses and a bandana. One boy, the closest to Katsuki, had spiked red hair and vibrant red eyes. The only thing covering his face was a black surgical mask. The other boy was the most peculiar. His hair was halved into two colors, red and white. He, too, had a bandana covering his mouth and nose. The red side of his hair hung low over his left eye.

Izuku crawled back against the wall, eyes wide and frightened. _What is this??_

_*_

Eijiro Kirishima had come for his friend. Well, Katsuki didn’t really consider them friends. Yet.

But when the boy had gone missing a day and a half ago, Eijiro had been concerned. So he had found his friend Mina Ashido and told her what was going on. They had found the villain hideout and were preparing to storm it when a boy had seen their plans. They had been discussing plans in a café when a teenager with red and white hair approached them.

“What’s that?” He’d said, tapping the map that they were leaned over.

“Ah!” Kirishima had yelped. “It’s, uh… a map.”

The boy tilted his head, peering at him like he was stupid. “Of what?”

“Oh, um. Nothing. Just a…game…”

The boy rolled his eyes. “I’m not stupid. What’re you guys planning? You’re over here whispering like a bunch of second-graders.”

Mina sighed at the same time as Kirishima. “Fine. Hey, you’re in Class 1-A right? UA? I’ve seen you in the back of the room.”

The boy nodded. “Shoto Todoroki.”

The three exchanged greetings before Eijiro finally started the story of how his friend had gotten kidnapped.

Shoto nodded thoughtfully. “Ok. I want in.”

Kirishima held up his hands. “Hold up, dude. This is gonna be, like, crazy dangerous. I don’t want any unnecessary casualties.”

Todoroki shrugged. “But I want to. It’s just an extra set of hands.”

“You’re more than a set of hands, bro. You have a life.”

Shoto shrugged. “So do you. And that Bakugou kid.”

Eijiro sighed. “Okay, fine. Tomorrow night.”

And here they were. Two visible villains, not including the boy on the floor. One pale-haired man with a hand covering his face. And a man with black hair. Purple skin covered his mouth and ears, crawling down his neck and beneath his shirt collar.

“Who are you kids?? Why are you here?!” The first man hissed, scratching at his neck.

“We came for our friend!” Kirishima glared at him, then nodded at Todoroki. The half-and-half boy swerved to face the dark haired man, ice shooting out from his right side.

Ice crawled along the floor and the man jumped back, grabbing Bakugou in the process. The green-haired boy in the corner yelped as ice encased his shoe, kicking at it.

“Impressive quirk, kid, but I’m afraid you picked the wrong opponent.” The scarred man chuckled. Blue flames flickered to life around his eyes and on his hands.

Todoroki’s eyes filled with something like recognition before he leapt back. Flames covered the distance between the two, and was slowly gaining ground.

Kirishima rushed the other man. But right before he landed his first punch, the boy in the corner cried out, “DON’T!!”

Eijiro fell back, glancing over at the boy. He was their age, with messy green hair and freckles. But he had way too many long-term injuries just to be another hostage. He was clutching his shoulder, and when he lifted his hand to shift away from the villain’s flames, Eijiro could see that there was no skin on the boy’s shoulder.

Eijiro gasped, stepping away from the man. “So you’ve got a quirk that takes people apart, huh?”

The villain sighed in exasperation. “Something like that. If you think we’re just gonna sit around and let you NPCs storm the place, you’re mistaken. TWICE! SPINNER!”

Before Kirishima could think, _NPCs?,_ two figures rushed into the room. One, with what looked like a lizard quirk, and another, wearing a black suit with the letters “T” and “W” on the front in grey.

“What’s going on??” The lizard man asked, panting from exertion.

“Who’re these kids?! Hey, Midoriya’s back!” The other man growled, then laughed.

 _Ok, that’s just weird…_ Kirishima thought. _Like, DID or something?_

“Get out of here while you can,” the boy hissed at Kirishima. “You can’t save him.”

Eijiro frowned. “I don’t know who you are, and you don’t know me. Don’t say whether I can’t do somethin’ or not, dude, ‘cause I’m saving him.”

The boy whimpered, then looked over at Katsuki. His eyes widened even further, and he covered his face with his hands, right shoulder hunched up to his ears.

_He knows Katsuki… But how?_

Before Eijiro could even begin to speculate the question, the lizard man leapt at him. He pulled out a sword— made of more swords?— and swung it at Eijiro. The boy jumped back, hardening his arm to deflect the many blades. “Dude! That weapon looks super manly!” He laughed. The man— _Spinner?—_ seemed to draw back in surprise, and Eijiro grinned, landing a solid punch on the man’s scaly jaw. He cried out, clutching his face. “ _Ow!”_

“Ha!” A voice barked. Eijiro looked over to see Katsuki grinning. “Take that, stupid extra.”

“Spinner…” The pale-haired boss man growled. “Get up!”

The lizard man groaned, still holding his bleeding mouth. “But it _hurts!_ Kid has some sorta hardening quirk or somethin’!”

“You’re getting beat by a kid!!”

Kirishima almost laughed at the villains’ exchange. Almost. He approached Katsuki.

*

Mina Ashido was fighting the split-persona man. He was really strange and confusing, yelling at himself in contradictory remarks. That’s how she beat him. While he was distracted with himself— “Shut up! No, you shut up!!”— she sprayed acid at him. It dissolved a place in the mask he wore, and he screamed, falling back.

“Yes!” Mina pumped a pink fist.

“No, no, no no no…” the man hissed, clutching his dirty blonde hair. “No!! Can’t… splitting apart…”

Mina backed up, looking around to see if anyone needed help. Eijiro was winning against Spinner, and the blue-flame guy wasn’t gaining any more ground.

Everything was going just as they’d planned.

“Alien, watch out!!” A yell came from her right. It took her a second to realize that _she_ was Alien. They all had code names, and hers was her predetermined hero name, Alien Queen. Eijiro’s was Crimson Riot and Todoroki’s was Perry (“You’re hot then you’re cold”).

She turned just in time to see the boss leaping at her. She quickly sprayed acid at him, and he quickly raised his hands to shield himself.

The acid hissed on his skin, and he groaned, collapsing onto the wall.

Mina stepped away from him, panting. She’d heard Eijiro’s remark about the man’s quirk, so she knew to stay away.

Meanwhile, Kirishima was slinking over to Bakugou. Right when he reached his friend, Todoroki encased the fire villain in ice.

Kirishima held back a whoop of excitement, reminding himself that it wasn’t over yet.

He helped Bakugou up, surprised when his friend didn’t brush him off. _He must really be hurt._

“You okay, man?” Eijiro frowned.

Bakugou shook his head. “Of course I am, idiot. Let’s get outta here.”

Todoroki joined them, stepping around the villains. “C’mon, let’s hurry. The ice isn’t gonna hold him forever.”

Indeed, the ice around the villain was already starting to steam. The four teenagers went through the doorway as fast as they could.

“Wait,” A voice whimpered. Shoto turned to see the boy crawling toward them. “Wait. Is… is Kacchan gonna be okay?”

Eijiro turned around too, then Mina.

“We…don’t know yet. But there doesn’t seem to be any major injuries.” Shoto said. The boy nodded.

“Okay. Thanks.” He leaned back into a sitting position, taking his jacket off and gasping in pain.

“Bro, wait.” Eijiro said. The boy looked up. “Huh?”

“Why don’t you come with us? You look pretty hurt.”

The boy’s eyes widened in shock and fear, and Eijiro was afraid he was gonna pass out.

“Are you crazy?” Hissed Mina. “He’s one of them, Kiri.”

“No, that hand guy hurt him. He wouldn’t have done that if he liked this kid.”

Katsuki groaned. “Fine, let’s just go.”

The boy stood shakily, and Mina helped him to the door. They walked quickly down a hallway, following the boy’s instructions, and made it out the door.

They were free. And they had Bakugou.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so, the posting range will be from Wednesday to Sunday, but no promises there.  
> I’m trying to post a chapter every time I finish one (currently at eight), so we’ll see how that works.  
> Take it easy, guys gals and non-binary pals! Stay snazzy!


	4. Electric

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Gen-Z kids kidnap Izuku, some gay angst happens, and Izuku has another mental breakdown (surprise surprise).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve been rewatching Avatar: The Last Airbender and it’s great. First season Zuko is ugly but by late second season I would date him.  
> Anyway, some angst in this chapter. I apologize for any cringe.

Izuku hissed in pain, jerking the towel away from his shoulder. He panted, gently shifting off of the kitchen counter.

He was in Kirishima’s house after the rescue. Eijiro had allowed them to stay at his house until they wanted to leave, and everyone but Kacchan had agreed.

“I don’t need your help. Besides, my folks are gonna be worried to death that I was kidnapped,” He’d reasoned. Kirishima convinced him to stay just long enough so that Kirishima could clean his wounds. He’d grudgingly complied.

They were in the bathroom, angry shouts of pain coming through the hallway every once and a while.

Izuku had stayed in the kitchen as Ashido and Todoroki sat at the table and played poker.

When he walked past the table, Ashido looked up. “Hey, where are you going?”

Izuku shrugged, wincing.

Todoroki didn’t look up from his hand. “If you need help with your shoulder, I can bandage it for you.”

Izuku looked down. “N-no, it’s not that part, I’ve done that before… it’s just…”

“The cleaning, right?”

Izuku’s eyes widened in surprise, and his head shot back up. “How did you know?”

The half-and-half boy shrugged. “I’ve had my fair share of injuries. The thing is, my sister used to clean me up. It’s better if someone else does it.”

Izuku tipped his head. “Why’s that?”

Todoroki smirked, standing. “They tend to not care how much it hurts you.”

Izuku swallowed hard, following him back into the kitchen. “And how much will it hurt me?”

Todoroki sighed, taking a bottle of rubbing alcohol from beneath the sink. “Worse than you could ever imagine.”

*

“Ow!” Katsuki cried, hands tightening around the lip of the bathtub.

“Sorry, sorry!” Eijiro said, jerking back. He threw another bloodied gauze pad in the trash.

“No, idiot, don’t stop.” Katsuki hissed. “The sooner I get back home, the better.”

Kirishima smiled. “Ok.” He picked up another gauze pad and went back to work on the cut in Katsuki’s forehead.

Ashido knocked on the doorframe despite the door itself being open. “Heyo.”

“I thought you were playing cards with Todoroki.”

“He’s helping Midoriya.”

Katsuki groaned.

“What?” Eijiro leaned back. “Did I hurt you again?”

“No, it’s the fact that Deku’s become one of you now. It’s painful.”

Mina’s eyebrows shot up. “Huh? No way, that guy’s a villain! Todoroki is just nice like that.”

“Deku is no villain. Annoying? Yeah. A whiny crybaby? Absolutely. But a villain? No way, no how.” Katsuki shook his head, wincing. “Also, IcyHot isn’t nice.”

“Well, Midoriya did kill someone a few days ago. Remember?” Eijiro mumbled, and Katsuki growled.

“He wouldn’t have done that if they hadn’t threatened him!”

“Whose side are you on, Bakugou?” Mina sighed. “You’re super salty about us helping him, but you insist he’s not a villain.”

“I don’t know,” Katsuki growls. “He would never do anything like this, and yet I _saw_ him do it. It’s just…really damn confusing.”

“Look, man, once you get cleaned up and visit your family, we’ll sort all of this out. But for now, this mystery isn’t our first priority.”

Katsuki hesitated before nodding. “Okay….”

“By the way, Kirishima, your couch is going to get blood on it,” Todoroki called from the living room.

“What?!” Kirishima cried. “No! Put down paper or something!”

Mina jabbed a thumb at the hallway. “I’m gonna go… supervise.”

*

“How are you holding up, Midoriya?” Shoto asked, not looking up from Izuku’s shoulder.

“Ev-everything hurts,” came the boy’s strangled reply. He was laying on the couch, newspaper beneath him.

“I’m going as fast as I can.” Shoto said. “It’ll be ov…” he trailed off, taking a step back.

“What is it?” Izuku tried to sit up from where he was laying, but he winced and gave up.

“Ashido, come here.” Shoto shifted so that Mina could see the villain’s shoulder.

“Oh, man…” Mina whistled, leaning closer. “What is that?”

“Wh-what? What are you talking about?” Izuku whimpered.

“Some stitches in your shoulder have come loose, and—“

Izuku groaned, interrupting Shoto. “I’m gonna have to get stitches again?”

Shoto blinked. “Yes, but… what is that wound?”

Izuku shifted, grimacing. “I got shot a couple’a days ago. Some heroes helped me. Well, a hero and some other civilian.”

“You got _shot?_ ” Shoto couldn’t hide his surprise.

Mina was practically bouncing with excitement. “Ooh, how??”

Izuku got into a more comfortable position before looking back at the pair. “I’m a villain. I kill people. How do you think?”

Shoto frowned. “No need to snap, though I understand that was a bit intrusive.”

“N-no, sorry…” Izuku clutched his head with his right hand. “The tone is a…force of habit. It’s not your fault.”

“That’s alright, Midori,” Mina smiled. “It’s probably not your fault either, seeing what those villains did to you.”

Izuku blinked at the nickname, then shook his head. “Wait, how did you know that the villains hurt me?”

Mina’s eyes widened. “Have you not seen your arms?”

Izuku instinctively wrapped his arms around himself, then hissed in pain and dropped the left one. He looked down at his arms, flinching at the myriad of scars. Lacerations, burns, bruises. He looked away, still avoiding eye contact with Shoto and Mina.

“Do you mind if I…?” Shoto reached out to touch Izuku’s arm. He started to flinch away, but relaxed and nodded.

It was a whole new sensation, Todoroki’s ice-cold fingers brushing over the many wounds on his arm. Mina had left, though Izuku didn’t know when.

Shoto stopped on a particularly large burn scar, blinking hard. He reached up and brushed the red side of his hair out of his face, and Izuku almost gasped in surprise. A large burn mark surrounded Shoto’s left eye, coming down to the middle of his cheek.

Shoto smirked. “Unsightly, right?”

Izuku’s eyes widened. “No, of course not!”

Shoto sighed, standing up. “You don’t have to lie to me, Midoriya.”

“I’m not lying,” Izuku protested, shifting off of the couch and onto his feet. “It’s no worse than any of mine.”

“Sure,” Shoto said in an unbelieving tone. He started towards the bathroom. “I’m going to get some supplies to start stitching you up again. Wait here.”

Izuku stood there, feeling like a complete idiot. He hadn’t been in a normal social interaction in years, and when someone shows up being completely friendly and nice, he blows it.

“You guys done being gay?”

Izuku jumped, turned to see Katsuki leaning against the wall.

“K-Kacchan! I… I didn’t see…” Izuku stammered. Words failed. He hadn’t seen Kacchan in almost five years, and here he was, standing right there.

Right there.

“Hey, Deku.” He sighed. “Long time no see, you damn nerd.”

“Kacchan…” Izuku’s voice hitched in his throat, and he blinked tears away.

“What… Where did you go?” Bakugou asked.

Izuku took a shaky breath. “I… I was so tired…of people looking down on me.” Izuku still couldn’t meet Katsuki’s eyes. “I wanted to be normal, Kacchan. So… when a man came up to me and told me he had a solution, and to go to a certain address, how could I say no?”

Katsuki frowned, walking so that he was right in front of Izuku.

“I went to the address, but the man wasn’t there. The villains found me and tortured me until I finally just said my original goal. They took me to a man named Sensei, and…” Izuku looked down at his hands, which had started to crackle with electricity, his body’s go-to quirk when he was nervous or upset. “He gave me his quirk.”

“Wha— _gave_ you a quirk? What does that mean?” Katsuki growled, stepping closer.

Izuku flinched. “I can’t tell you any more. I’m sorry. But that’s what happened.”

“So, what? You just stayed with them as they tortured you? Forced you to murder people?”

“Yeah.” Izuku finally met Katsuki’s gaze, but it was filled with malice and anger. “All those years, you bullied me, teaching me that I was a useless, quirkless _nobody._ You should be thanking me for not killing you myself!”

Katsuki stepped back. “Deku? Where is this coming from?!”

Izuku growled, standing. “You! You, Kacchan! I went through the ever-painful process of getting this quirk, all because of you! I had to stay with villains for _five years,_ trying to protect you. Then, the one day that I can actually relax, they kidnap you and beat you up! And I was _scared,_ Kacchan.” Izuku was pacing now, lightning crackling all the way up his forearms now. “I was scared that they were going to kill you. Why?!” He turned around quickly, eyes wide, tears threatening to spill over. “Why was I so scared that the one person I hated was going to die!? I hated it, Kacchan. I hated _caring_ about you.”

He gasped in pain as the electricity spread even further, to his shoulders. Katsuki reached out to help him, but Izuku jerked away. “I’m not done!”

His voice was a low growl. “I resent you, Katsuki Bakugou. I hate everything about you except your strive for power. I can understand that.” Izuku was clutching his head now, on the brink of a panic attack. “I ca- I can understand…. But you had…no right…t-to do the th-things you did, K-Kacchan!”

The lightning sparked, the house’s lights flickering for a second. Izuku cried out, falling to his knees.

“Deku!”

*

Shoto, Mina, and Eijiro knew that Bakugou had to settle some things with Izuku, so they stayed out of the way.

But when the lights flickered and Izuku started yelling, that’s when they rushed into the living room.

“Katsuki!” Eijiro said, rushing to his side. “What’s going on?”

“You tell me.” Katsuki’s eyes were wide and a little bit frightened. “He was just talking, and then that happened!” He gestured vaguely to the lightning.

Shoto inched closer. “Midoriya, are you alright?”

Izuku cried out again as the lightning flashed.

“Wait!” Mina cried. “I know what’s happening! It’s happened to me before!”

“Well?? Spit it out!” Katsuki snapped.

“He’s overusing his quirk! He’s past his body’s limits and it’s hurting him!”

“I could’ve told you that,” muttered Shoto.

“Yeah, but he doesn’t have control over whether he uses it or not.” Mina explained, turning to Katsuki. “When did the lightning start?”

“When he was talking about the villains giving him a quirk.”

“That’s it! It gets worse when he’s upset! Maybe.”

“So we just have to calm him down?” Eijiro’s eyes widened. “I can do that.”

Izuku looked up at them with wide, scared eyes. “N-no, stay back. I’ll hu-hurt you, I… d-don’t want to hurt anyone…else.”

Eijiro frowned. “Look, I’m gonna use my quirk. You won’t hurt me.” His limbs became jagged and hard. “See?”

Izuku shook his head. “Stay back! Please!”

“Listen!” Katsuki snapped, lunging forward and grabbing Izuku’s arm. “You won’t hurt him, you damned nerd!”

“Bakugou!” Eijiro hissed. “That is _not_ the way to calm him!”

Izuku’s eyes narrowed in anger, and Eijiro was afraid he was going to retaliate. But the boy nodded slightly. “O-okay.”

Eijiro neared them, waiting until Bakugou let go of Midoriya’s arm before sitting down.

Izuku didn’t seem like he liked people touching him, so Eijiro settled for being close.

“Look, man, you’re alright. What’s making electricity go everywhere like this?”

Izuku shook his head, maybe to clear it. “I-it usually shows up when I feel strong negative emotions.”

Mina pumped a fist. “I knew it.”

“I’m gonna need you to take a deep breath, okay?” Eijiro said quietly, and Izuku nodded, taking a shaky breath.

“Okay. Do you want to talk about it?” Eijiro reached to put a hand on Izuku’s good shoulder, and surprisingly, the boy let him.

“I… I didn’t wa-want to k-kill them, Kirishima…” Izuku’s voice was so quiet it was almost indistinguishable from the lightning.

“I know,” Eijiro murmured.

Izuku yelped as the lightning reached a peak again, shocking Eijiro with a staticky sensation.

“It’s okay, man, try to calm down. You’re hurting yourself.”

“I c-can’t… every time I close my eyes, they’re there… all of them. They…” Izuku took another deep breath, and Eijiro felt a flash of relief. At least he was trying.

“They hate me. And I understand why because I hate me, too. I didn’t want to do those things. If I had just stayed home that day… if I had declined that man’s offer…”

“Hey, you can’t change the past. You killed those people, but it wasn’t your fault. You’re a good person, Midoriya.”

Izuku looked up, his face holding one of his suddenly furious expressions. “How can you say that? Would a good person kill people just because they were told to??”

Eijiro had had enough of the self-deprecating manner Izuku spoke in. “Would a _bad_ person be willingly tortured for years just so their friend could live?”

Izuku’s eyes widened more, and he looked down at the ground, chest convulsing with sobs.

“It’s okay, man…” Eijiro said gently, crouching beside Izuku’s hunched figure. “It’ll be okay.”

After that, Eijiro stayed by Izuku’s side so long that neither of them noticed when the lightning stopped.


	5. 3/5 Bloody Senses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku’s not okay, Shoto gets more gay, and everyone’s favorite lesbians make an appearance.
> 
> TW: Panic attack

_I’ve gotta stop waking up in strange, unfamiliar places…_ Izuku thought as he sat up on Kirishima’s couch.

“Morning, dude.” Kirishima called from the kitchen.

Izuku rubbed his eyes, his muscles burning. “Oh, ow… that electricity really took a toll on me.”

Kirishima laughed. “What do you want to eat?”

Izuku blinked, standing. “Huh?”

“What do you want? I’m making eggs.”

“Um… I guess that’s fine.” Izuku started towards the kitchen. “I didn’t get a chance to ask you this last night, but where are your parents?”

“On a business trip. Lucky, huh?”

“Yeah… Did Kacchan go home?”

Kirishima nodded. “You were the only one who stayed. Todoroki had some family matters to attend to, and Mina still had schoolwork to finish, so it’s just you and me. Well, until I have to go to school.”

“School?” Izuku murmured. The term was familiar to him, seeing as he was in it for four years. But he hadn’t even mentioned school in five years and was probably really behind on his education.

“Yeah. I got into UA, believe it or not.”

“I can believe it.” Izuku nodded.

Kirishima took the skillet off of the stovetop, separating the eggs onto two plates. “Here you go. I’ll get you a fork.”

“Ah… thanks…” Izuku went back into the living room, setting the plate down on the coffee table.

Kirishima joined him, handing him a fork. Izuku nodded in thanks and started to eat.

“Um… sorry for dumping all my emotional baggage on you last night…” Izuku muttered.

Eijiro just chuckled. “Dude, it’s fine. If that’s what you needed, then so be it. I didn’t want you destroying my house anyway.”

Izuku gave a tiny, nervous laugh and kept eating. A few minutes had passed when Eijiro stood. “I’d better get going.”

Izuku nodded nervously. “Oh. Sure.”

“If you need anything, call me. I’ll try to come when I can.”

“I don’t…have a phone…”

“Use the house phone then. It’s on the counter. I left my number over there, too. I’ll be back around 4:00.”

“Okay.”

“Help yourself to any food in the kitchen. You can watch TV or whatever to entertain yourself, but try not to break anything.”

Izuku nodded. Why was Eijiro doing this? It’s not like Izuku has helped him or anything. Hindered, more like it.“…Thank you, Kirishima. I don’t deserve this.”

Eijiro shrugged, smiling. “On the contrary. I’m just happy to help. Alright, man, I’m off. See ya later.” He approached the door.

“Bye,” Izuku said quietly, right before Eijiro left, locking the door behind him.

Izuku stood, taking his now empty plate to the sink and washing it. He looked around, then winced as he realized his shoulder was starting to throb.

_The medical supplies are… beneath the sink? Or was it in the bathroom?_

Izuku frowned, suddenly creeped out by the emptiness of the house. He hurried into the bathroom, checking under the sink. There medical supplies sat, and it seemed that the Kirishima family sustained a lot of injuries, because it was more supplies than Izuku had seen in one house. Of course, he had never really taken good care of his wounds, so he wouldn’t know.

Izuku got on his hands and knees, searching through the cabinet. He found a bottle labeled “iodine” and remembered that it kills bacteria.

_It’s my best shot at cleaning this thing without someone to help me._

He unscrewed the cap of the bottle, sighing. “Let’s get this over with…” 

So, after about 30 minutes of cleaning the wound, the dried blood was almost gone. But Izuku himself was in rough shape.

He eventually picked himself up off the tiles and into the living room. There, he watched the news, shocked at his own face on the crime reports.

_Do my scars really stand out that much?_

He stood, going back to the bathroom and looking in the mirror. He ran a finger down the laceration on his cheekbone. On the news report that one seemed the most prominent.

Izuku frowned. As he turned, something flashed in the corner of his eye. He looked to see the pair of scissors he’d used to cut the gauze when he was bandaging his shoulder.

Just as he was putting them up, Izuku looked down at his hand. His breathing became ragged as he examined a gash, blood already beading around the small wound. The tiny voice of rationality in the back of his head said, _It’s okay, you probably just accidentally cut yourself._

But rationality was soon drowned out by the memories of other people’s blood he’d had on his hands.

Izuku stumbled back against the wall, breathing heavily. “No, no, no…”

He clutched at his head as visions of people he’d murdered flashed through his mind. When he looked back down at his hands, they were covered in blood.

When he blinked it went away. He was scared to blink again, afraid it would come back and eventually it did.

Izuku curled up in terror, his head pounding, his thoughts and sight jumbled.

And then the front door opened.

*

Eijiro’s first thought when he walked in was that it was too quiet. The TV should be on, maybe Izuku should be reading or something. But not this.

“Midoriya? I’m home,” He called. When he crossed over to the hallway, there were distinct heavy breaths coming from the bathroom.

A flash of panic crossed Eijiro’s mind, and he tried the handle. Locked.

“Midoriya, is that you?”

The breathing got quicker, and there was a scuffling sound. Then a thump, and a hiss of pain. “N-n-no, no, I ca- I can’t… It…”

Another loud noise, followed by a long, creative string of obscenities.

“Midoriya??” Eijiro was starting to get scared. “What’s going on?”

The boy let out a scared moan. “They’re here, no, they’re gonna— they’re gonna take me again, I can’t do that again I can’t it’s not okay, I…”

The rambling went on.

Eijiro cursed, pulling out his phone. He called Katsuki and Shoto, then Mina. He explained the situation, and all three of them said that they’d come.

He knelt by the door. “Midoriya, what’s going on?”

Izuku showed no sign that he’d heard him, and Eijiro sat there, wishing there was something he could do.

There was a knock at the door, and Eijiro hurried towards it. All three teenagers stood there, Mina and Katsuki looking distressed. Shoto just looked kind of bored. He shoved past the other two, going to the bathroom door.

“I know what to do.” Shoto said. “Do you have a key?”

Eijiro smacked a palm against his head. “Of course! Why didn’t I think of that? Yeah. I’ll go get it.”

When he returned, Shoto unlocked the door and proceeded to seize Izuku by the shoulders.

The boy thrashed, but Shoto’s grip was strong. “Midoriya, hey, calm down! It’s me!”

Katsuki joined Eijiro at the doorway. “Is that really going to work? Grabbing him like that?”

Eijiro shrugged. “I guess we’ll see.”

*

Izuku thrashed. Hands were holding him down, injecting him with millions of serums that were supposed to give him strength to handle All For One, to become all that he wanted to be, all that he needed to be and for a moment he was back at the villain lair wishing they would stop and—

Izuku gasped. Wait… There was something… _familiar_ about these hands. They ran across Izuku’s arms and he realized he knew the hands.

The icy touch on one side, the warm touch on the other.

_Todoroki…_

That one single thought pierced all the others and he was pulled out of his stupor.

He was sobbing, clinging on tight to anything he could get his hands on.

“Hey, hey, calm down. Five things you can see.”

Izuku sniffed. “Wh-What?”

“Name me five things you can see. Do it.”

“Um… y-you, th-the door, Kirishima, Kacchan…” he hesitated, glancing down at his hands before looking away again. “Blood.”

“Blood?” Shoto looked down at Izuku’s hands. “Midoriya, there’s no blood. Just a cut.”

“I c-can see it, Todoroki…” Izuku whimpered, his voiced strained.

Shoto scowled. “Never mind. Four things you can feel.”

“The floor, your hands, m-my shirt, um, the bandage on my shoulder …” his eyes widened. “H-hey, I can’t _feel_ the blood.”

“That’s good. Let’s keep going. Three things you can hear.”

Izuku was already starting to calm down. “Your voice, Kacchan tapping his fingers on the doorframe,” At this, Katsuki stopped. “And the air vents.”

“Good.” Shoto smiled. “Two things you can smell.”

“Um, the eggs from this morning. Blood.” Izuku took one look at Shoto’s face and backtracked. “From when I was re-bandaging my shoulder! Not my hands…”

“Ok,” Shoto nodded. “One thing you can taste.”

“Blood.” Izuku ran a hand down his face. “Sorry, I hit my chin on the counter earlier.”

“Now. Are you calmed down enough?”

Izuku thought for a moment, then hesitantly nodded. He sniffed, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. “I-I’m sorry… I just got really freaked out and… I lost it. S-sorry…”

“That’s okay, Midoriya. It’s not your fault.”

“H-how’d you know how to calm me down?”

“Well, I figured you would remember my…unique hand temperatures, and after that it was a simple act of getting you out of a panic attack.”

“Oh. Thanks.” Izuku pulled his knees up against his chest, breathing shakily.

“So, what do you think that was?” Shoto asked.

Izuku looked up. “What do you mean?”

“Like, just a panic attack, or PTSD or something?”

Izuku shook his head. “I don’t know. Maybe PTSD, maybe not. I haven’t looked into it any.”

Suddenly, Shoto’s phone dinged, and he sighed in exasperation. He pulled it out of his pocket, checking the screen. “Sorry, guys, I’m needed back home.”

Eijiro stepped into the bathroom and put a hand on his shoulder. “Ok. Thanks, man.”

Shoto nodded in response, standing. “Happy to help.”

Izuku stood, still shaking a bit. “W-wait. Todoroki.”

Shoto turned. “Yeah?”

“Thanks. I mean it.”

A tiny smile tugged at the corners of Shoto’s mouth. “You’re welcome.”

And he was gone.

*

Two hours later, Izuku was walking down the street near where Mr. Aizawa had rescued him. It was nearly empty except for two girls behind him.

He had told Eijiro that he needed to be alone for a bit, and the redhead hadn’t objected.

He was thinking. Shoto had pulled him out of his bloody panic, but how? The familiar hand temperatures, maybe, but was it just that? Or his voice? Or…

He was lost in thought when the gunshot sounded. He jumped, looking around.

“KYOKA!!” The scream startled him, but he turned nonetheless.

“Oh, my god, Kyoka, no!!” A girl was crouched on the ground by another girl. She shifted the unconscious girl’s head into her lap, convulsing with sobs. She looked around for the girl’s shooter, eyes landing on Izuku.

*

Momo Yaoyarozu was coming home from a date with her girlfriend when Kyoka Jirou got shot.

She was looking for the attacker when in her panic she saw the serial killer Izuku Midoriya.

Her thoughts raced. She couldn’t just abandon her girlfriend here, bleeding on the ground. But she didn’t want to stay, either.

A killer was _right in front of them._

“P-Please… Don’t hurt us…” Momo whispered as the villain approached.

He just looked at them for a bit, a crease of worry in between his eyebrows. “…What?” His voice startled Momo. It had a far-away sound to it, like he was distracted. He was also young; his voice hadn’t changed yet.

“Please, just let us go,” she continued, pulling Kyoka closer, careful not to touch her side. “We didn’t do anything, and sh-she needs help…”

Midoriya nodded. A flash of movement startled Momo, but he was just…holding his hand out?

It looked like he wanted to help her up, but… He was a killer. Surely he couldn’t have noble intentions?

She hesitantly took his hand. He pulled her off the ground, then started to pick up Kyoka.

“I can,” Momo said roughly, and, much to her surprise, Midoriya backed off. He seemed almost…nervous. Scared, even.

She gathered her girlfriend in her arms.

Midoriya spoke. “You should call the police.”

Momo looked over at Midoriya. “I don’t have a phone. It…broke a few days ago.”

She could see how his gaze clouded over. He was thinking.

“That corner store.” He pointed west. “It has a phone. Try to stop the bleeding as soon as possible. Actually, here.” He took off his hoodie then his shirt. He put the jacket back on and handed her the shirt.

Momo folded it up, pressing it to the wound. She created a rope with her quirk, gently tying the killer’s shirt around her girlfriend’s waist.

She turned towards Midoriya. “I want to thank you. I don’t know what compelled you to kill all those people, but… You saved someone today. Know that, Izuku Midoriya.”

And she was gone.

But if Momo Yaoyarozu had looked back, even for a second, she would have seen something that would have shaken her core.

Izuku Midoriya was crying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be kinda random and not well fitted into the plot, but it has a purpose, I promise.  
> Stay cool, my friends.


	6. R.A.A.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guess what Izuku injured himself again
> 
> The Big Man shows up at the end, Shigaraki decides not to be a dick, and Eijiro gives Izuku and idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Might be a bit random, I tried to fill in the plot holes. I apologize.  
> I guess this was a vent for something that happened to me (on a much smaller scale; I’m not hurt) so...  
> R.A.A. means “Random Automobile Actions”, btw

Izuku pulled his hood up as he approached Eijiro’s house. It was more to conceal his tears than a disguise. There were few people out at 7:00.

After his encounter with those two girls, Izuku couldn’t stop crying. A stranger, a total stranger who was obviously terrified of him, had thanked him and told him that he had saved someone.

He hoped Kyoka lived.

Anyway, he couldn’t return in the weeping state he was in, so he found a table at an abandoned café and sat there for a while.

When people started to walk by, Izuku stood and walked back.

When he knocked on the door, Eijiro opened it, grinning.

His smile faltered, however, when he saw Izuku’s tears. “Hey, what’s wrong? What happened?” said Eijiro, ever the comforter.

“N-no, nothing happened… I’m fine.” Izuku muttered, “It’s just…something someone said.”

“Like, a bad something?”

Izuku shook his head. “No, a great something. I… didn’t expect it. She… She recognized me, too, and that’s the worst part of it.”

Eijiro had a hand on Izuku’s arm, leading him to the couch.

Lightning crackled over Izuku’s fingers, and he gazed down at them, in a trance.

“What’d she say?”

Well, for context to that, Izuku had to backtrack all the way to just after he left.

Once he was done retelling the story, Eijiro gave a low whistle.

“You saved someone, Midoriya! You saved someone’s life instead of ending it, that’s gotta count for something!”

Izuku shrugged. “S’ppose so, but it still doesn’t make up for all the stuff I’ve done.”

Eijiro’s eyes sparked. “I have an idea.”

“God help us all,” muttered Izuku, and Eijiro playfully punched his arm.

“As I was saying, why don’t you save _more_ people?”

Izuku stared at him for a moment. “What?”

“Like, instead of killing people, why don’t you save them?” Eijiro’s grin was wider than the amount of distance between Izuku’s train of thought and his own.

“Like… a hero?” Izuku’s train arrived at the station.

“Yes! Exactly!”

“But… I can’t be a hero. I’m a villain.”

Eijiro thought for a moment. “You can be like the Crawler!”

“The what now?”

Eijiro could see he was getting nowhere. “He’s a vigilante.”

“A vigilante. You want me,” Izuku gestured to himself, “to become a vigilante?”

“Well, only if _you_ want to. Besides, when you said you’re a villain, so are vigilantes. Everything they do breaks the law! So, technically, you’d be a villain _and_ a hero at the same time!”

Even though that wasn’t really all that much better, Izuku smiled. “I think I’ll try that.”

“Great! I’ll tell the others.” Eijiro thought for a moment. “Hey, uh… That girl… why did someone shoot her?”

Izuku shrugged. “No idea.” But there was a thought, one that twisted his gut. _They might have been aiming for me._

*

Jin Bubaigawara was on the verge of going completely insane. After that weird pink vigilante had burned through his mask, he was helpless against the pounding headaches that came from his personalities screaming at each other nonstop.

He had ordered another one from his old friend, Giran, but it couldn’t come fast enough.

At the present moment he was on the couch in the LOV hideout, trying to distract himself from…well, himself.

His friend and teammate, Himiko Toga, sat beside him. “You okay, Jin?”

He nodded reluctantly.

“Hm. Okay.”

Meanwhile, Tomura was raving. “That _brat!_ Did he really think he could just _leave_?! I’ll show that arrogant hero-worshiper!”

Jin frowned. He had enough fighting going on without the boss adding to it.

“Oh, shut up!” He blurted, before grunting in frustration and beating a palm against his forehead. “Goddamn it! Sorry, boss, didn’t mean it.”

Tomura sighed. “It’s fine.” His tone didn’t match the words.

“But… he has to come back sometime…right?” Toga interjected.

“And why’s that?”

“Well, those kids are sure to notice that he’s wired to kill eventually, right? They can’t tolerate him for that long.”

“The only reason he stayed was ‘cause of the Bakugou kid,” Jin muttered, followed by a hiss of annoyance. “God, just stop, will ya?”

“Well, yeah, but he’s a killer. He can’t hide forever.” Toga continued. “He knows this is the only place he’s safe.”

Tomura thought about that for a moment. “…I suppose you’re right, Toga…”

Himiko smiled. “Yep!”

Jin stood, starting to pace while muttering to himself. “This isn’t very pleasant for me either so I suppose we have to wait it out together. Well, Giran is sure taking his precious time about it. Yeah, that’s one thing we can agree on. Can you learn to keep your mouth shut once and a while? What did you say?! You know what I said, you’re _me,_ damn it.” He clutched his head, groaning.

Himiko looked thoroughly concerned. “Maybe talking to yourself isn’t the best way to solve this, Jin.”

“I know, just— Ah, it hurts…!”

Toga rubbed his back while looking around. “Jin, put your mask on.”

“Huh? B-but it’s broken…”

“Just trust me on this one.”

He reluctantly nodded, then pulled out his mask and slipped it on.

“I-it’s not helping, I-I’m gonna split…”

Toga stepped forward and tied a cloth around the part of the mask that had been burned.

Twice stepped back, looking around in awe. “Th-that actually…worked! Thank you, Toga!!”

And to Himiko, the embrace felt like both his personalities were thankful.

*

Izuku had made the decision to go back.

Eijiro hadn’t liked it, but Izuku convinced him it was the only place he was safe.

He was walking down the abandoned street that led to the hideout when a loud screeching noise sounded.

Izuku didn’t have time to react before a car was on top of him.

Blinding panic and pain swarmed him, as well as one thought: _There aren’t supposed to be cars on this street._

Then: _That was a strange thing to think, Izuku. What’s wrong with you?_

Then he was reminded of his situation and panicked. He squirmed under the crushing weight of the car, finding that only his left arm and leg were stuck. The car had crashed, rolling over him and landing upside down on his left side.

Loud whimpers escaped from his throat as he tried to shift away.

The car didn’t budge.

He was trapped.

The adrenaline was fading now, and the pain was getting worse. Izuku didn’t think anything could feel as bad as being crushed did.

Until…

“Well, well.”

Izuku froze. He knew this voice. _Oh no. No, no, no… Not him. Not now._

“Look who’s returned, the prodigal son.” Tomura Shigaraki kneeled in front of Izuku’s pinned body. “Comfortable, Midoriya?”

Izuku tried to wrench himself free once again, only succeeding in shifting the heaviest weight onto his joints.

He yelped in pain, the right side of his body trembling with exertion. “P-please… help… I’ll do anything, just… please, I don’t want to die like this…”

“‘Course you don’t, who would? However, people don’t get to pick and choose the way they die, Midoriya. That’s not how life works.” Shigaraki’s tone was venomous.

“But you’re here. You can help me… please, Shigaraki, I don’t want to die here!” Izuku’s voice rose an octave. He was getting desperate.

“Fine.” Tomura hissed. “I’m gonna regret this.”

He placed a palm on the car, turning it to dust. It revealed a driver, dead, and Izuku’s limbs, which were most likely shattered and therefore unusable.

Izuku made a sound that was a mixture of pain and relief.

“Th-thank you,” he whimpered. “B-but, I-I don’t think I can move. It hurts real bad, Shigaraki…”

Tomura scoffed, but knelt down to examine the broken limbs nonetheless.

“Hm… That’s not good.” Tomura stood, starting to walk to the hideout.

“Wai-wait!” Izuku cried. “Don’t leave, please!”

Shigaraki groaned in exasperation. “I’m going to get help, idiot. Stay there.”

 _Like I could move,_ thought Izuku.

He lay there, trying to squash down his panic, when Shigaraki returned with Kurogiri.

“Oh, dear,” the mist man rumbled, his figure constantly changing in the wind.

“Well?” Tomura shoved his hands in his pockets.

“I can warp him, but in his condition it will be…painful, to say the least.”

Tomura tilted his head to the side. “Well, Midoriya?”

Izuku gave a hiss of pain at an involuntary movement before nodding. “Get it over with, and don’t stop ‘til I’m inside.”

Kurogiri nodded solemnly, and opened a portal under Izuku.

The boy almost immediately let out a cry of agony, but it was cut off as the portal sealed.

Tomura’s jaw twitched. “Let’s go.”

Hours later, police would come to investigate a drunk-driving case in which a driver had run off the main road into a dead-end street that only pedestrians were allowed on.

They would find only a pile of dust and a dead body, as well as blood smeared on the ground.

The case was left to go cold.

*

Izuku never thought he could feel this much pain. He was afraid he would black out, but at the same time he prayed for it.

He was aware of people crowding around him, but he couldn’t do much of anything except feel the agony.

His jaw was open to the point of aching, but were the screams he heard really his? He didn’t think he sounded like that; so feral and in pain. But he _was_ in pain, and a lot of it.

He wished the car had killed him.

“𝙄𝙯𝙪𝙠𝙪?”

Izuku froze. He knew that voice.

“𝙄𝙯𝙪𝙠𝙪, 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙢𝙮 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙡𝙮.”

He knew he should listen. But it hurt so much, and it was all he could do to not start screaming again. “B-but it hu-hurts a l-lot, I-I can’t…”

“𝙄 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙞𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙣.”

And so Izuku went completely silent, awaiting instructions.

“𝙍𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙚,”

Izuku nodded.

“𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜,”

“H-healing,” Izuku whimpered. Some of the pain faded, and he took in a full breath.

“𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙝 𝙚𝙣𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙧.”

“Strength enhancer.” Izuku whispered, and felt his energy rise before depleting again.

“𝙑𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙, 𝙄𝙯𝙪𝙠𝙪.”

The young villain felt himself smile shakily. “I-I’m really tired… C-can I sleep any…?”

“𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙮𝙚𝙩. 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪.”

Izuku nodded. “Oh. Okay.”

“𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙚, 𝙄𝙯𝙪𝙠𝙪?”

Panic flashed through him. He knew how powerful the voice was, and what it could do to him. “I’m sorry, Sensei, b-but they wanted t-to help me, and I was hurt a-and scared, and…”

He felt tears running down his face, and he noted that he was still laying down.

“𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩, 𝙢𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙. 𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙢𝙮 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙪𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪.”

Izuku nodded, shame filling him. He should’ve known not to leave. “Th-thank you. I’m sorry.”

“𝙉𝙤𝙬 𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙥, 𝙄𝙯𝙪𝙠𝙪 𝙈𝙞𝙙𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙮𝙖.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... the next chapter is real fun. 
> 
> I hope you guys liked it! Please leave kudos and comments if you did!  
> Sorry for the long wait, too.
> 
> Love you guys <3


	7. Deku

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku does some vigilante stuff and visits everyone’s favorite mom

Izuku limped up to the scene of the wreck. The healing he performed on himself days ago had only done so much, and he found that he needed a brace in order to walk.

He had just learned the healing skill, and according to Sensei it took some time to hone. The shame he felt under All For One’s voice had lifted once he’d woken up, so Izuku had decided to do some vigilante work.

Eijiro had told his friends about Izuku’s vigilantism, and they were delighted. He got a new disguise, a black hoodie with the All Might logo and a face mask.

The group had tried to calculate how many people he needed to save (Shoto said three for every person he killed, Eijiro said just one, and Katsuki and Mina were indifferent), but it was a dead end, trying to calculate the price of a human life, and they decided that Izuku should just save as many people as he could before he died or got caught. Whichever came first.

So, Izuku had found every car wreck he could (he felt a personal connection with those kinds of accidents now) and saved the victims.

This one was particularly bad. Two cars had a head-on collision, leaving one of the drivers dead and both cars absolutely mutilated.

Izuku checked the most damaged one first, the one with the dead driver. He found three children in the back, two girls and a boy, and he quickly used the Strength Enhancer to pry open the door and free the youngest child, around four or five years old. The other children, about ten, stared at him, wide-eyed.

The boy had a broken arm, and all three of them suffered from lacerations, which Izuku quickly healed.

Then the next car. The only person in the pickup truck was a woman, around his mother’s age. She was conscious, which made Izuku’s job a lot harder.

When he tried to free her from the car, she started crying out in pain.

That’s when he saw her legs trapped beneath the crushed dashboard. He winced, a flashback making him lose focus.

“Try not to move, okay?” He said, and the lady nodded.

“Strength Enhancer,” Izuku murmured, then repeatedly hit the dashboard with the base of his palm to implode it. The woman flinched, but Izuku kept on until she could get out.

He helped the woman out of the truck, laying her on the ground and healing her legs. She stood shakily, wincing. The three children from the other car stared in awe through their tears. Izuku turned to walk away.

“Wait,” the woman called.

He turned to look at her.

“Thank you.” She was crying. “I-if you can, do you mind telling me your name?”

Izuku was dumbfounded. A name? He didn’t have a vigilante name yet.

Izuku turned back around, preparing to run off. He could already hear heroes coming.

“Deku.”

*

“Deku?” Eijiro said. Disbelief edged his voice. “You…know what that means, right?”

“Of course I do,” Izuku muttered indignantly. Katsuki was laughing in the corner.

“It was the only thing that came to mind, so I went with it.” The vigilante continued.

“And the villains don’t know your nickname?”

Izuku shook his head. “No, I made sure of that. They’ve only heard Kacchan say it.”

Shoto shrugged. “I like it. It’s ironic.”

Eijiro cocked an eyebrow. “And ironic is a good thing?”

“Well, it shows he’s modest, that he’s not doing it for fame.”

Izuku gave a shaky grin. “You think so?”

Shoto nodded. “Yeah. Deku means ‘useless’, so you’re pretty much just saying that you can’t do anything. But at the same time, you’re saving a bunch of people.”

“I suppose it is pretty useless, since I’m just trying to make up for the murders.”

“Speaking of,” Eijiro said quietly, “And you don’t have to answer this if you don’t want, but…how many people did you…er, assassinate?”

“You can say kill, Kirishima. I won’t get upset.” Izuku rolled his eyes, as if they were talking about a trivial subject. But his nonchalant demeanor quickly faded as he looked at the ground. “Um… Twelve.”

Shoto grunted softly, and Eijiro nodded. “Oh. How many have you saved?”

Izuku shook his head. “I’ve tried not to count. It makes me feel selfish, like if I reach a certain amount I’ll stop.”

Eijiro nodded again, then smiled. “That’s a good rule to go by. But how many did you save today? If you want to tell.”

“Four.” Izuku frowned. “One woman and three children. I couldn’t save the kids’ father.”

“You did enough, Midoriya. He was dead before you got there anyway.” Shoto said. “Right? I saw the news.”

Izuku hesitated, then nodded.

Katsuki had come out of his laughing fit and was now a bit pissed off. “Wait. Does this mean that when I call you Deku, it’s not an insult anymore?”

A smile played on Izuku’s face, rare when he was talking to Katsuki. “Nope.”

“Damn.” The spikey-haired student growled, thought he didn’t sound too mad about it.

*

Izuku landed on his toes, suppressing a yelp as the shock jarred his leg. He stood, slinking a good twenty yards behind the robber.

He had been following the man for a while, looking for a time to strike. A woman had her purse stolen, and he had followed the mugger. A classic vigilante case.

He was firing up Strength Enhancer when the robber turned and pulled a gun on him.

Izuku froze. He’d been shot before, and it did _not_ feel pleasant. And if the bullet hit anywhere near his left side, Izuku was in trouble.

He backed up as the robber stepped closer.

He couldn’t take the impact of another jump, so he had to face the robber head-on.

There was nowhere to go, and Izuku could feel himself starting to panic. _Maybe I can just play it off…_

“Whoa— huh?!” He yelped, as if he didn’t know the man or why he was pointing a gun at him.

“Don’t move, kid. I know who you are.” The robber growled.

Izuku swallowed. “Y-you do?”

“You’re a punk lookin’ for a fight, ain’t ya? Well, you’re not gonna get it. Scram!”

Izuku was left utterly confused for the fourth time this week. “Huh?”

“You heard me! Get outta here ‘nless you want some lead in ya!”

Izuku took this as a sign to run and run fast. And run he did, even with a jacked-up leg.

He didn’t stop until he ran out of breath and his diaphragm was aching. He turned to see someone he never thought he’d see again.

“Mr. Eraser Head?” Izuku whispered.

The black-clad hero had taken down the robber, and was approaching Izuku.

“Midoriya.” Aizawa grunted.

Izuku took a step back, wincing.

“Or is it Deku, now?”

Izuku’s eyes widened, and he pulled down his mask. “Um, yeah, I guess.”

“Well, even if it’s illegal, vigilantism _is_ a step up from murder. I’ll let you go.”

Izuku nodded in thanks. He was about to turn away when Eraser pulled him into an embrace.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t save you.”

Then Aizawa released him and went back to the robber’s unconscious body to drag it to a police station.

_Save me? Is that what he was trying to do the first time I met him?_

Izuku felt a pang of something he hadn’t felt in a long time— homesickness. The wave of pain as he remembered his mother made him tear up, and he knew what he would do next.

*

“Where are you going?” Tomura hissed.

Izuku pulled on his hoodie, careful to keep his back turned so Shigaraki couldn’t see the All Might symbol.

“I’m going to see my mom.”

Things in the hideout had been rocky ever since Izuku left, but things were finally returning to normal; well, as normal as a group of villains intent on killing the #1 Hero can be.

Tomura scoffed. “You’ll only be putting her in danger.”

“Not if I make it look like an accidental meeting; I’ll just run into her or something.”

Tomura rolled his eyes. “You’re not helping yourself, Midor—“

“I’m seeing her.” Izuku growled, in such a feral tone that Tomura stopped short.

Shigaraki left the room without further argument, and Izuku continued with his preparations.

Luckily the League hadn’t suspected that Deku was indeed Izuku yet, but he was still apprehensive.

In his vigilantism as well as villainy, he learned that music often distracted him from his terror when the stakes were high. Which they were, more often than not.

So, scraping together what money he had, he had bought a small MP3 player, downloaded a few songs, and now he took it with him wherever he went.

He slipped it into his pocket now, putting one earbud in. He left to go to his old neighborhood.

Izuku pulled his hood over his head, knowing that his eco green hair was a surefire way to get recognized.

He went to the neighborhood of his early childhood, nostalgia making him stop and look around every few minutes.

When someone would look at Izuku for a second longer than he was comfortable with, he would just focus on the lyrics of whatever song was playing.

_…Oh oh, I want some more, oh oh, what are you waiting for? What are you waiting for? Take a bite of my heart tonight…_

He liked this song, and was so absorbed in the sound of Neon Trees that he almost missed it when Inko Midoriya walked in front of him.

Izuku acted immediately, “accidentally” running into her with his shoulder.

“Oh!” He turned around to help her up. “I am so sorry, ma’am, I wasn’t looking, I apologize.”

“No, no, you’re alright…” Inko’s face lit up with recognition, and Izuku smiled shakily.

“Izuku?” Inko whispered, and her son nodded. Tears filled her eyes.

She put a hand on his arm and led him to an apartment complex that she had been going to.

She unlocked a door and they went inside.

“Izuku, is it… is it really you?”

The vigilante nodded. “Yeah, Mom. I’m sorry I didn’t visit before now, I just… I didn’t want to put you in danger. But… I miss you.” At those last three words, Izuku’s composure crumbled and tears ran down his face.

Inko embraced her son tightly. “I missed you too, Izuku. I’m glad you came.”

When she let him go, he wiped his eyes with his sleeve. “I know you see me as a killer… Everyone does. I won’t try to justify that; I know I did it, and I know it’s wrong, and that I’ll probably never escape the consequences of it. But… I’ve been trying to help people recently…”

Inko’s eyes widened. “I knew you were that vigilante! ‘Deku,’ was it?”

Izuku nodded. “Yeah. The, uh, the other…villains don’t know about me saving people yet, but I have some friends who’re helping me with it all.”

“Friends? Like, normal friends?” Izuku knew his mother was worried about his friend group being villains. “Yes. Yeah, they’re regular people. In the Hero Course, actually.”

“That’s good. I remember how you always wanted to be a hero.”

Izuku nodded sadly. He always dreamed of it, even after he learned he was quirkless. But then he found Sensei, and—

He shook his head to dislodge the thought.

“What is it?” Inko took Izuku’s face in her hands. Her thumb brushed the scar on his cheek.

“Nothing, just… an intrusive thought. I’m fine.” Izuku didn’t miss the way she looked at and talked to him— like he was insane, fragile, ready to snap at any moment.

And maybe he was.

“I’m sorry, Izuku… I can’t help but think I’m to blame for this. What I said to you all those years ago, it was the fuel for you finding that artificial quirk, wasn’t it?” Inko whispered.

“N-no, no, this isn’t _your_ fault, Mom!” Izuku was horrified by the fact that his mother thought she was to blame for his villainy.

Inko shook her head. “Izuku, if I had never said that to you, you wouldn’t have gotten that quirk and gotten into so much trouble with the villains.”

_None of this was her fault, she can’t blame herself for my mistakes!_

“Don’t ever say that!” Izuku was shocked at his own tone; some mixture of concern and anger. “None of this was your fault! It was all me. You didn’t influence anything.”

But Inko wasn’t listening. Her eyes drifted to his left leg. Izuku had only touched his left toes to the ground since he’d entered. He wasn’t putting any weight on it.

“Izuku, what’s wrong with your leg?”

Deku swallowed, silently cursing himself. “Um, I hurt it a few days ago, b-but I’m fine, it’s healing rather quickly…”

Inko nodded. “I’ve been worried about you, Izuku… Why…?”

“Why what?” He was afraid of the answer.

“Why did you… Why did you kill those people?”

The pain in his mother’s voice made Izuku terrified. What had he done to her?

“I…” Izuku looked away from her. He focused on the ceiling. There, that’s a nice smooth surface to focus on while he ruined his life once again; this time for his mother.

“The villains… they were gonna hurt a friend of mine…if I didn’t. I went away, like, a week ago, and… they got him.” His voice cracked, and Inko gasped. “They killed him?”

“No, no, I’m sorry if that was misleading. No, they just hurt him a bit. Nothing too bad.”

“Oh, good. But, why still do what they want anymore?”

Izuku thought about that. “Well, they haven’t made me do anything lately, so I think they know that leverage isn’t an option. But, as for why I stay with them…” Izuku had to pause for a moment because he really didn’t know.

“I suppose that’s the only place I can go without getting recognized. It was a risk even coming here.”

Inko nodded. “I’m glad you came, Izuku. I needed to see you again.”

Izuku nodded. “…Yeah.”

Inko hugged him again, and he savored the feeling. He probably wasn’t going to see her very often, not until he was free of the villains.

_Free of the villains._

He hadn’t meant to think that, but the thought jarred his state of mind. His entire situation had left him feeling like there was no other life, that he could never return to be the happy kid he’d once been.

And for a long, long time, there hadn’t been any reason to believe otherwise. But Eijiro and his friends had saved Kacchan, hadn’t they? Izuku never would have thought someone could defeat the villains, especially not three freshmen.

But they had. And he’d gotten away, at least for a day. And now, he went out into an extremely public place with Shigaraki’s knowing. And no one had tried to stop him, not even Kurogiri, who was usually the only voice of reason.

This one single thought made an immense happiness blossom in his chest, and he grinned.

Inko noticed, and smiled as well. “What is it?”

Izuku pulled away. “I-I think I have to go. But, I’ll visit more, I promise.”

Sadness flashed in Inko’s eyes before being replaced by something else. Something loving. “Okay, Izuku. But… What’re you so happy for?”

He just shook his head. “I… Well, I realized that maybe I can do something about the villains.”

“Like what?”

“I’m one of them, quite obviously. So I know their plans. They also don’t know that I’m Deku, so m-maybe…”

“Izuku, are you saying you want to _sabotage_ the villains?” Inko laughed. Izuku nodded eagerly.

“I think that’s a good idea, but… Is it safe?”

Izuku shrugged timidly. “I mean, nothing is safe, really. But I’ll be extremely careful.” He smiled. “Besides, I have someone to come back to now.”

Inko nodded tearfully. “Okay, Izuku.” She embraced him. “I love you.”

He hugged her back, his smile fading as he realized just how risky this plan was. “I love you too.”

And he was gone, the happiness vanishing, replaced by a heavy feeling of dread.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! Leave a comment with advice, questions, or comments!
> 
> Love you all! <3


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